The Brothers Grimm were Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), who were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, and authors known best for collecting and publishing folklore and fairy tales of the German people. They published their first volume of fairy tales in 1812 which helped establish their literary fame. The Brothers Grimm devoted their lives to researching and documenting older versions of German and Scandinavian languages and traditions. They made significant contributions to the development of children's literature through their famous collections of fairy tales.